Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Enough is enough...

Sean Avery is a pig. End of post.

Well it could be anyway. Pig pretty much sums up the guy but we’ve all known that for a long time. Avery has had far too many ‘moments’ to declare him anything else. Sloppy seconds? This latest nugget is just another item on a resume of idiotic and distasteful accomplishments.

So why then did he get suspended by the league this time? Did he really cross some line of acceptability with his comments yesterday about Elisha Cuthbert that he hasn’t crossed before? Don’t get me wrong, I think what he said was disgusting, demeaning, degrading, misogynistic, and all the other adjectives that I have heard used to describe it, but is it beyond what we have heard or seen from him before? Could someone look at this and say ‘That’s not the Sean Avery I know’ besides a very close relative or maybe a pet? I don’t think so.

I think the real reason he got suspended was because the league wanted to avoid the bloodbath that would have ensued had Avery played against the Flames last night. The lead up to the game was already super-charged with anticipation just based on what Avery said about Jarome Iginla and all he called him was ‘boring’. Can you just imagine the result of having Avery play this game, in Calgary no less, after his comments towards Ms. Cuthbert and, indirectly, Dion Phaneuf? Phaneuf, nor Iginla for that matter, are the type to let this sort of thing slide. This is a ‘protecting the honor of a lady’ deal. Its pistols at dawn!

Nope, the league could not allow this to happen. They were afraid of how ugly it could get and rightly so. By suspending Avery they were able to do what they no doubt realize should have happened a long time ago while at the same time avoiding a very ugly incident.The Dallas Stars were quick to jump on the band-wagon after the league made it’s ruling and several players (most notably Marty Turco) voiced there displeasure about the carnival that is Sean Avery. It had been reported for quite some time that Avery was a cancer on that team but the Stars publicly supported their teammate, that is, until yesterday.

They, like the league, figured this was as good a time as any to get off the Avery-go-round. The Stars publicly denounced Avery's actions and took the first steps in cutting ties with the jerk. Whether or not they follow through with that remains to be seen but I, for one, certainly hope we've heard the last of him in the NHL. That might be a lot to wish for but hey, it's nearly Christmas.